Pierre Boulez passed away

Sad, Again a great artist gone. While honestly he wasn't my style of music.....

A great musician has passed. We have his recorded legacy, both as a composer and as a conductor. His Mahler cycle stands out. But for me, his recordings with the Wiener Philharmoniker of Debussy compositions is still unparalleled: the transparency and seeming effortlessness flowing of the music makes for a transcendent listening experience.

Great example of his ability to make music flow while keeping it tightly controlled, revealing the structure of the music:

The end of an era.  Whilst I couldn't pretend to like or understand his music, his conducting was a lesson in clarity and clear purpose. I agree with Bert, his Mahler 3 is special.  In fact his entire Mahler symphony cycle is well worth hearing.  He is widely acknowledged to be a fine orchestra trainer. Sad news.

Boulez made a CSO debut in 1969 with following program:

Feb. 20, 1969:  Debussy’s Jeux, Webern’s Passacagliaand Six Pieces for Orchestra, Messiaen’sEt expect resurrectionem mortuorum and Bartók’s First Piano Concerto, with soloist Daniel Barenboim.

Feb. 27-28, 1969: In Boulez’s second week conducting the CSO, he leads music by Haydn, Berg, Schumann (the Cello Concerto, with Jacqueline du Pré and the U.S. premiere of his own composition, Livre pour cordes.

I knew he was not well in last few yeas since he had to cancel a few concerts due to ill health. I was hoping to catch him one more time at the Orchestra Hall. ;( But I was lucky enough to attend a few of his concerts. By far my favourite is his Mahler's 5th with VPO.

I am going to hear Notations this year.

A true giant has passed;

This is one of my favorites;

In his memory, here are the Boulez directed records I listened to. Not all of them are my fave but for sure he left a large recorded legacy for us to enjoy.

Recorded 1998 Dec. at the Orchestra Hall.

Pity it was recorded after the notorious post *remuddling* project so the sound quality reflects of it coupled with DG's 90s wretched digital recording. 

Boulez had a regular appearance with the CSO during late 90s into early 2000.
Incidentally Shahan will be back in Chicago playing the same Concerto with Susanna Malkki.

I saw him conduct at the Ojai Festival many years ago, he certainly fulfilled the mission of avant guard.  Some of the 5 performances were difficult to sit thru, and I like adventurous stuff. It also might have been the awful old wood benches we were constrained to outdoors.  I'm sure he did a Messiaen and a few of his pieces where speakers were in trees and brass members showed up in back and sides of the amphitheater. You go bro, the little old ladies and gentlemen had something to really talk about that year.  Sadly, I've had to give that up past few years.

Also on a WW2 bus trip with my father, I went to the Intercontemporain in Paris, again difficult but I had to hear it.  Too bad I was delirious trying to fight jet lag by the end.  The bus people thought I was crazy when I told them about it, but I staked my ground as adventurous.  Another day I led a small group to museums to see art and used every ounce of my art history classes / readings and they were thrilled. Mark one for UBIs, Useless Bits of Information.

Ravel Piano Concerto with Cleveland Orhcestra/Zimerman on piano.  1994 recording

I remember using this CD as a demo disc for a hardware audition back in the 90s.

Boulez/Cleveland: Mahler 4 1998 recording

Vivid and lively.

Debussy Images for Orchestra : with Cleveland Orchestra 1969 recording

Great clarity and rhythmic pulse. Side A stars off with a startling Iberia rather than the normal Gigue. Exotic and sensual. Yet fresh and upfront with plenty of micro dynamics and details. Lush but not overly sweet. 

Boulez's Debussy has this casual spontaneous impulse which is perfect for the score.

Interesting that everyone has talked about Boulez's achievements as a conductor, rather than a composer. Is that perhaps because a lot of his music is very dry, rather too serious, fundamentalist even?

I like a lot of post-war "classical" music (Ligeti, Penderecki, Messiaen, Stockhausen, Xennakis, etc) but I have to say that I often find Boulez a bit of a struggle, it's a bit cold, demanding but not very giving.

I remember years ago the late composer Steve Martland telling me about the time he made a kind of "pilgrimage" to see Boulez at IRCAM in Paris and he said there was a real "fuhrer bunker mentality" about the place. It was as if Boulez and his acolytes had locked themselves in down there, trying to keep the polluting influences of the outside world (including - oh the irony! - the modern world) at bay.

I quite like this early work though:

Time is the ultimate critic.

It took over 100 years for Bach's work to be appreciated by masses so Boulez still has hope!

I'll get to his work later. The only one I have listened to so far is his Piano Sonata No.2 played by Pollini. Written in 1948, through his friendship with John Cage, the work was performed in the U.S. in 1950.

It’s pretty jarring from the first note. Similar to Stockhausen, I suppose. No structure, no melodic flow it seems all wrong notes are placed randomly. There is a loose connection to Debussy’s Etudes but this one takes it one farther pushing how far it can go to be qualified as an enjoyable music. Lent is a typical 60s avant-garde sinister-filled dark slow moving piece. Ear candy they aren’t but it's still an art which tries to get a lift out of a listener even if it's a negative one.